Forever in the Wings
by AsItThunders
Summary: This is Always Waiting from James' POV. Lily is smart, funny, and gorgeous. The only problem is, she won't give James the time of day. When he changes, can he get her to see that she really and truly has fallen for him?
1. My Evans

**Forever in the Wings**

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**So this is my other story, Always Waiting, from the perspective of James. So, you all already know what's going to happen. I do encourage you to read both! Go on! Review and let me know what you thought!**

**Okay, to all my reviewers who informed me that Lily is spelled with one l and not two, I apologize. I had a momentary lasp of memory and my brain wouldn't tell me if it was one or two. I have gone back and fixed it. I'm sure you've all had those moments.**

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There was nothing to do which meant that, naturally, I was bored. Peter had complained and whined about needing to go up in the library and study, Moony was in the hospital wing from his monthly escapade with his "furry little problem," and Sirius was off charming some girl with his good looks and humor. There was no one to prank. Peeves had already taken care of that for the day. There weren't any Head duties to attend to. I had finished all my homework for the weekend, and Snape was currently sitting up in his dormitory. I looked down at the map again, looking for anyone that I could talk to.

Almost as if by instinct, my eyes zoned in on my favorite little name in my untidy scrawl. _Lily Evans_. There she was, sitting by the lake. Why hadn't I thought of it before? Lily and I were now what you might have called friends. At least, we didn't have our little fights anymore. I could sit down in front our Heads' Common Room fire with homework that I didn't get, and she would come over and help me out without a single smart comment, face, or impatient noise.

Lily had taken my change very well, but I don't think she realized why I changed. I had changed for her. She had told at the end of sixth year that she hated it when I constantly asked her out, followed her around, and bugged her. So, I had matured, and I could tell that she liked it. The only problem was that I needed her to do more than just like me.

As I continued walking onto the grounds, I saw that the clouds had begun to converge over the Hogwarts' grounds. There was slight, clean smelling breeze that I thought signaled rain. There were rumbles of thunder in the distance past the lake and the mountains. At the mention of the lake, I saw the big tree I saw a flash of red locks that were picked up by the breeze. There was my Lily Evans.

She always hated how I once let it slip that I called her my Evans. But, I had been in love with her since I had first seen her. Every time I saw her, my stomach erupted in butterflies even after seven years of seeing her. She made my tongue dry up so that it took me a bit to be able to speak properly to her. She had no idea the effect that she had on me, and I was doing my best to dull it down this year. If she really and truly didn't like me after this year, then I would back off and leave her alone, but I had to test it first.

I jogged a little faster down the gentle slope. I thought it was really sad that I couldn't last a few hours without seeing her, but then, that was me.

There she was, sitting under the big tree looking off over the lake. She had such a thoughtful look in her eyes… I decided to let her know that I was there carefully and with an ounce of question so that it didn't appear as though I stalked her to down here.

"Evans?"

I watched as Lily's body stiffened at the sound of my voice. I would normally have, and perhaps should have smirked, at her reaction. I knew it! It was, however, going to be difficult to get her to admit it. If she had problems admitting it to herself, then she was going to have a harder time admitting it to someone else, especially me.

I came down and took a seat next to her on the ground. She didn't notice it though, appearing too busy thinking something through. She finally turned around to face me. "Po-Potter," she stuttered. I saw her gaze locked on mine and for a split second and I thought I saw her gaze fog over. She looked momentarily hypnotized by something, but I didn't understand what it was. Until I realized, it was me. She got that same slipping up from looking at me. She shook her head a little as though trying to rid herself of some unwanted thoughts.

"What are you doing out here, Evans?" I asked softly.

For a split-second, Lily's face softened, and then it hardened quickly and thoroughly. "Why do you care Potter?" she spat back at me. I could see her fighting with herself. I understood what she was doing. She was trying to provoke me out of my new maturity so that she could find an actual reason to hate me.

So, I raised my hands in surrender and scooted back a little to give her some space. "I was just wondering, Evans. You don't have to get all hot and bothered. So, I'll ask again, whatcha doing out here?"

She studied me for a moment and stared at everything but avoided my eyes. She was sitting in a somewhat relaxed position. Her legs were stretched out in front of her and crossed at the ankles in a ladylike fashion. She had one hand resting on the ground, and the other one was in her lap, fingering the hem of her robes. I smirked a little as she glanced at me when she thought I didn't notice.

Had she finally given in like everyone said she would?

Was it possible?

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	2. Should I?

I thought I saw Lily look over at my face for a little bit. I think I saw some sort of blunt hope stretch across her face before being quickly extinguished. Gosh, she was beautiful. Her long red hair flowing down her back and sometimes flitting into her face from a slight breeze. She had those perfect almond shaped emerald green eyes. The most enchanting and hypnotizing eyes God ever made. They narrowed slightly for a moment as she glanced at me through her curtain of hair. I was completely and wholly hers. All I had to do was convince her of the same of me.

Sirius was right. I do sound like a girl when I talk about Evans.

Finally she answered me after a few more moments of silent contemplations with her typical and cute sarcasm. I had taught her well. You couldn't grow up with me at your side 24/7 9 months a year for seven years and not learn to retaliate sarcastically. "Sitting."

I gave a little chuckle. She could be quite charming when she was spouting off insults. "I gathered that, Evans." How I longed to call her Lily, but I really didn't want a slap in the face. You'd think that after seven years of this close proximity we'd at least be on a first name basis, but we weren't. She seemed to find me an egotistical brat. "But I was wondering why you were here by yourself, on a weekend, with no one else?" She wasn't usually one to sit by herself- surrounded by Alice or Emily or, in the past years, Snape.

This time, Lily looked past her curtain of hair up at me. Our gazes locked, and I lost myself in them. She could have asked anything of me, and I would have obliged completely willingly. I was hers. Those eyes held me transfixed. I could see all the little freckles on her nose.

"Well, why shouldn't I?" I noticed as she tore her eyes away from my gaze that she shook her head a little and her voice became a little colder. I gave the crooked smile, the one I knew she loved because she blushed a little every time I sent it her way. There it was…

"Well, aren't we feeling sassy today?" I took a chance and branched out. She seemed to appreciate my comments a little more, didn't reprimand me as much for saying them. We didn't get into as many fights. "You could be spending the day with me, you know?" I said with a sly smile. I watched as the corners of her mouth curved up slightly.

Had she been about to laugh at something I had said? I felt my stomach squeeze and butterflies erupt again.

"Only in your dreams, Potter. If I spend the day with you, it'd be the apocalypse." She responded with an eye roll and another glare through her curtain of hair.

Did she really think that lowly of me? I had known her since she was eleven. I knew everything she liked and disliked. I knew what time she liked to go to bed, wake up in the morning, to eat for breakfast. I knew all her little habits when she was nervous, and I could when she was excited by the way her eyes lit up. Surely she realized to some extent that I cared for her. That I would never allow anything to happen to her ever.

Now was the time to come right out and say it. I had to get my feelings out there. She had to know.

"You know what?" I spoke softly with my eyes downcast, and I noticed her twist her head a little so that she could see me better. "I think the real reason is that you're scared to spend time along with me. " I had to take this slow.

She gave a sarcastic laugh and winced inwardly. She didn't get it. I would die for her, not to sound melodramatic. But I got up in the morning to see her face, and she was the last thing I saw before I went to sleep. There was another clap of thunder that rumbled across the grounds. "And what exactly am I scared of, Potter?" She was challenging me.

Should I say it? I wondered as I stared down at her. I wanted to, needed to perhaps because I knew it was true. Everyone told me it was true. Sirius, Remus, and Peter said she found it so difficult to go back on all those things she had said, the feelings she had professed for so long. To go back on them now… Alice said she was in denial, and it was only after I mentioned this to the other Marauders that I realized that that meant she had feelings as well, she just couldn't admit to them.

After some more of my silence, I noticed her looking up at me. Softly, I noticed her breath catch, and watched as her hand contracted clenched and unclenched. She looked down as well. Without realizing what I was doing, I had the sudden urge to touch her palm. It was like I couldn't control my hand. It came off from its resting place on my knee and lightly skimmed over her upturned palm. The touch was electric. A spark shot up my arm and continued through the rest of my body. A pleasant tingling. I noticed when her eyelids fluttered slightly at my touch. She enjoyed it. Perhaps what I was going to say would be easy then. Her hand was so smooth to the touch, the pale satin I'd always imagined. I ran my fingertips up her own long fingers and played with them tenderly, trying to convey my feelings with my touch.

I watched her face as a blush began to creep up her neck and onto her face. She had leaned her head back against the tree in contentment. I lightly trailed my fingers down her fingers again and began tracing patterns onto her palms.

She looked absolutely gorgeous. Her red hair curled close to her face, framing it perfectly, green eyes full of that gentleness and thoughtfulness that is Lily. I had to say it. Now.

I opened my mouth to begin. "You're scared…" and trailed off. This was hard. I didn't want her getting mad at me. We'd been doing so well this year after six long years of arguing and fights and bantering and hexing. I was nervous, so I habitually looked into her face to find that courage and strength that I had always pulled from looking at her. I looked down again, afraid to watch her eyes as I said the next words but continued to play with her fingers, her touch giving me strength. "You're scared that you'll end up falling in love with me like I already have with you."

There, I said it.

I admitted to Lily Evans that I loved her.

**Okay, sorry for all this mess. Like I said, when I was editing I couldn't find my curser and all these spaces won't go away.**

**Anways! Please review if you liked it or even if you didn't I'd love to hear from you.**

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	3. Left Behind

**Forever in the Wings**

She only stared at me with a slightly agape mouth. I knew she didn't understand how well I could read her. That certain ways she bit her lip were different ways that she was nervous or anxious. The different ways her eyes lit up and her smile stretched. Surely she had, or someone else had, noticed that one cannot help but end up falling in love with someone after seven years of chasing and liking. At first I had tried to ask her out just because I couldn't get her. Then I started liking her brains, her looks, her very . And then, last year, I realized that I had fallen love with her.

I couldn't stand not to be around her. It was physically painful for me to be separate from her. Hadn't someone once said that hate and love toe a very thin line, and it only takes a small nudge to push you over. Something had pushed both of us over that line a long time ago.

Lily, however, recovered from the shock of my calling her bluff quickly. I could see it in the set of her jaw. "Oh yeah, Potter. Aren't we being nice and full of ourselves this afternoon? Just because you're James Potter that doesn't mean everyone has to go and end up freakin' fallin' in love with you!"

I saw the tears begin to well up in her eyes. Ha! She did love me! She was fighting a battle with herself. I wanted to kiss her right then and tell her that I knew she really did love me. She didn't have to admit it, that I understood. I wanted to kiss her right then and there. But she wouldn't like that, so I refrained myself. So I had to content myself with saying it out loud then.

"But you did." I said softly. "You fell in love with me, and right now you're hating yourself for it."

I watched as she grit her teeth and wrenched her hand away. I missed the warmth already. Her voice was harder and darker. She was doing her best to remain mad at me, and it wasn't working. "What is with you tonight? I haven't fallen in love with you, Potter!" As she was saying all this, Lily stood up and raised her voice so that she was yelling at me for the first time in ages.

I kept my voice skeptically soft and questioning. I could see the fury light up in her eyes. The thunder cracked loudest this time. Her voice was icy now, and I winced inwardly. I hated it when she was mad at me. "What makes you so sure that you can read my thoughts that way?"

For Pete's sake! I wanted to yell at her. I had known her since she was a child at eleven and watched her grown into that awkward but never less lovely teenager and finally the beautiful young woman in front of me. It was a struggle for me to keep my voice down and my lips to myself. "Evans, I've known you since you were eleven. I've watched you ace every homework assignment and fail a single test. I've watched you laugh at everything and begin to break down crying. I've seen you when you've just woken up and after you've fallen asleep in the Common Room after a long night. I know you, Evans, because I've always been waiting for you to fall in love with me."

It was trued. I had watched her go through boyfriends and every time, I sat there in the wings and watched and waited. Always waiting for her to come to me when some guy dumped her.

Lily looked at a loss for words for one of the first times since I'd known her. I took a step towards her just as a streak of lightning shot across the sky. "Po-" she stared and then stopped. "James." My insides turned into jelly. She called me James! My face split into such a crooked grin, it hurt. . I was over whelmed with the thought that she had called me James."That's, that's…well, that's really nice."

I was quite frankly drunk with happiness and elation. "You- you called me James." I knew she could hear my joy. I took another step closer, surprised she hadn't said anything about it yet. There was something in the air that made it crackle. You could have cut the tension with a knife. I knew, somehow, that she could feel it as well. I was so happy with the success I had had so far that I branched out even further. Wasn't I feeling audacious today?

"You know, Lily, I only ever did all the hair ruffling, pranking, showing off, and big talking because I liked you so much. But you know what?" I whispered so low that I could barely hear myself. I had called her Lily and she hadn't slapped me. I was so close, her face was only a few inches from mine. I could smell her sweet scent of sunshine and sand. She smelled heavenly. Something had me rooted to the spot. There was nothing in the world but Lily. There wasn't a castle behind us or a storm headed our way. It was just her and me.

"What?" she breathed back.

But before I could answer, the biggest thunder of all shook the grounds, and all of a sudden, it was pouring rain. It was all over the place and drenched us at once, running down my face and soaking my clothes and Lily's. The dirt we were standing on was quickly becoming mud.

Lily looked up into my face, the rain making her squint. Her hair was curly now from being wet and a piece fell across her face. Her green eyes had me mesmerized like nothing else could. A hurricane could have broken out and I wouldn't have noticed.

I knew that for the first time in forever, my hair was lying flat into my face, and I was paler than usual from the cool rain. We were so close I could count all the flecks in her eyes.

"I'm doing this because I love you." And I leaned in the final two inches and kissed her.

I was afraid, at first, that she would push me away and then slap me silly, but after a few seconds that didn't appear to be the case because she all of a sudden flung her arms around my neck. I smiled into the kiss, and I kissed her more. I placed a hand on her neck and tilted her face up so I could kiss her better. This was something I'd been wanting to do since I saw her. And Lily Evans was accepting my kiss wholeheartedly. Feeling daring, I placed a hand in her gorgeous wet hair, running the sweet red locks through my fingers. Silk.

I was in heaven until we had to pull away for air, and I rested my forehead on hers and looked down at her.

I looked at her with all the love I had, willing her to see it and know that it was real and it wasn't fake. I could see something mirrored in her green eyes as well.

It was love.

I couldn't tell you how long we stood there in the rain with her face buried in my chest and her arms around my waist and my face nestled on top of her head drinking her scent and kissing her head whenever I felt like it. I looked up at the sky for a moment and saw how dark it had gotten. We were going to miss dinner if we didn't hurry.

She looked up at me, and I could tell that she knew that we needed to go in as well.

Lily took one of her small, delicate hands in mine and started walking towards the castle. Wouldn't everyone be surprised?

I finally had Lily Evans. She was mine. After seven years of chasing and waiting and asking, she was mine.

Lily, however, pulled me from my thoughts as we neared the imposing doors that lead into the castle. "You know what?" she asked quietly.

"What?" I asked playfully with a grin that I knew picked up her pulse.

"I was always waiting to fall in love with you, too." Just as I had always been stuck waiting in the wings, but now, it was my turn for a curtain call.

I leaned down and kissed her breathless again.

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	4. Name Change

Hey Everyone!

I'm sending out this message to those that have me favorited or alerted- I don't even know if thats a word- and putting updates on all my stories so people know!

I am officially changing my name!

Yes, I don't like this name anymore and really want to/need to change it! So, as of today, it shall be **AsItThunders**.

Just letting everyone know!

Love you all!

Merry Christmas,

**AsItThunders**


	5. So It Begins

**First off I want to apologise a ton for not updating in months! My life has been an absolute nuthouse! I swear, I'm so happy to have actually finished this one though. I do believe that I love James Point of View better, but you really should check out Lily's at Always Waiting!**

**Again, I'm so so sorry, its been so long. Well, as they say, better late than never. And, if you could please, REVIEW! Everyone knows how much they like to see them in their inbox when they get up!**

**So, I proudly present to you, the final installment in Forever in the Wings.**

**AsItThunders**

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**So It Begins**

I finally pulled away after oxygen became a necessity. She looked so beautiful with the rain running down her face and her hair tightly curled down her back. And now, after seven years, she and I were together. Lily Evans had finally given in to James Potter. I pulled her small hand and placed it in my own. I felt my stomach clench tightly as she gave me the most brilliant smile ever as we made our way up to the Great Hal for dinner.

Lily took my attention completely as we walked down the halls hand in hand. The feel of her warm little hand in mine was something I'd always imagined. The smell coming off her skin was heavenly, a soothing mixture of wild flowers and that delightfully refreshing, clean smell of a summer's day. A day on the beach. She consumed my attention so that there was nothing else in the world but her. A few long strands of her gorgeous red hair were resting on my shoulder where she had her head rested.

Lily, on the other hand, wasn't looking at me. Her penetrating green eyes were sweeping the hallways with an occasional smirk gracing her perfect lips. I followed her gaze and saw clumps of students huddled together, whispering, occasionally looking at us in worry. I nearly laughed. All the of my old fan girls were glaring evilly at Lily. Ha, they get what they deserve. Everyone knows I've fancied Lily since the second year. Other people were staring at our intwined hands and heading for classrooms for running up staircases. What? Did they think a bomb was going to go off or something? Now if Padfoot and I had been walking down the hallway with those types of smiles on our faces, that would be sign to start running for cover.

I gave a little snicker when I saw one or two girls crying in an alcove as we passed. This was bloody ridiculous. I saw Lily look up at me and give a little grin. I leaned down and whispered in her ear, her perfume that was Lily Evans, overwhelming me. "They're all waiting for you to start hexing me." she gave a small, unlady like snort of laughter, and I continued to laugh along with her, noticing the lovely harmony they made together.

Apparently, we'd stayed out later than I'd intended because there were only about twenty or so odd people still eating in the Great Hall. Everyone was watching us with confused looks on their faces, some looking at their watches, and all of them deep in conversation.

Man, Sirius was going to flip out. He'd been convinced after the incident at the lake in fifth year that Lily would never fall for me. Remus had been certain through everything that Lily would eventually one day see my side of the story and that I really did love her. He was one of the reasons I had changed the way I did. The werewolf had advised me that Lily would be able to see past my mistakes of the past if I put a better foot forward and showed her who the real James was. Not Hogwarts' James, but Lily's James.

I heard Lily laugh mirthfully and looked down at her in question wondering what had made her suddenly burst out. She got onto her tiptoes and whispered in my ear. I couldn't stop the shivers of delight that trailed down my spine. I had waited so long for her to act this way with me, and now, finally, after seven year, it had happened. "Dumbledore and McGonagall made a bet on us. Dumbledore won." I smiled. Good ol' Dumbledore would. He always managed to see things and had seen Lily and me together. I looked at the wise old Professor and he winked at me. He knew I was silently thanking him for never giving up on me. The white haired teacher turned back to conversation.

I watched Lily as we finished the walk to the Gryffindor table. She seemed happier than usual. I knew she'd been down a bit after her mother and father had died and to make matters worse, her sister had abandoned her as well. And for weeks, I'd watched her in the Head's Common Room sit there and stare into the fire, sometimes a tear would trickle down her cheek and sometimes she fell asleep. But, slowly she started to allow me to sit closer and closer to each time I caught her down there until she finally spilled to me what had happened. I think that was moment she really accepted me for who I had become and not who I'd been. Now, she practically glowed with happiness. Her long, gorgeous red hair was curled perfectly around her face, and her emerald eyes were alight with a new mirth I hadn't seen in a while. She seemed happier than I'd ever seen her.

When we were finally at the table, Alice and Remus were digging into their meal and having a conversation. However, I caught them glancing at us once or twice and knew they were both secretly thrilled by Lily's acceptance. Padfoot, on the other hand, looked like he was about puke or faint, or both. He just sat there and stared at us with his mouth hanging open. And then, his face pulled up into that face he got when he was trying to figure out the name of the girl he was going out with for the week. One he rarely got during classes. He turned to Remus. "Moony, what day is it?"

Moony looked somewhat startled by the question. "The sixteenth of April, why?"

Padfoot smirked at us, and I stared down at him incredulously. Oh, the wonders of Sirius Black. "That's funny guys," he said motioning down to our intertwined hands, "but you're off. April Fool's was two weeks ago. You can stop now. Man, that would've been a really good one though, Prongs. Why didn't you think of it before?"

I laughed and felt Lily shiver next to me. I smiled harder, still overwhelmed by the effect I had on her. But, like I said before, the wonders of Sirius Black. He was thick when he wanted and extremely perceptive at other times. This was one of the former times. "Padfoot, mate, we know what day it is." Remus and Alice cracked identical amused grins. They both loved it when Sirius was made a fool out of.

"Well, then…why…I…you mean…going out?" And then, to my greatest astonishment, Sirius Orion Black, fainted right there in the middle of the Great Hall when he heard that I had finally gotten Lily Evans. Lily gave a little snicker, and Moony and Alice turned back to look at us after glancing for a few seconds at Padfoot with his face in his food.

"Alice," Remus said, with a decidedly uncharacteristic sly tone to his voice that had rubbed off on him after being a Marauder after seven years, "you owe me to galleons."

"What!" I nearly shouted. "You two made a bet on us too?"

Even I couldn't contain the small little smirk that fell across my face as I watched the two of them. Moony would. Alice feigned hurt. "What? You think I would stoop so low as to place a bet on two of our best friends?" I was amazed that she even managed to sound offensive. I don't think Sirius could have pulled it off better.

I looked down at Lily for a split second and saw the laughter dancing in her emerald green eyes before she tore her gaze away from mine and looked back over at our two, well three if you counted Siruis, friends, smiling somewhat smugly over their meal. "Yes!"

"Alice, you were seriously betting that I couldn't make Lily fall in love with me? At least Remus knew better. " Good ol' Remus had always had faith that Lily would eventually see what who I really was if I let her.

Alice just gave a small shrug and a rather smug smirk as she looked at Lily. "I thought I knew my best friend better, but then, I guess I don't. By the way, who else bet on you two?"

I laughed again, sneaking a peak up at the staff table and watching as Dumbledore lifted his goblet to me in congratulations, as though he always knew I would end up with Evans as mine. Sometimes he seemed a bit off, but he had amore pure hear and wise mind than any I'd ever see. I was zipped back into the conversation as I heard the sweet melody of Lily Evans' voice. It was an old instinctual reaction that I had so that I always heard her wherever she was. "Dumbeldore and McGonagall," she said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Alice and Remus burst into laughter. "Well, Sirius at least seemed to be the only one who didn't see it coming. Apparently everyone else did."

I looked back over at Moony as he spoke. "It was going to happen sometime," he said as Alice gave a little nod.

Remus had told me over and over that if I really and truly liked her, it'd be okay. Then, I'd confessed that I really and truly loved her. That shut him up pretty fast. I guess he'd never heard of a 17 year-old falling in love. But it happened, and I do love her with all my heart. My last breath will be for her. That seems a little over dramatic, but I know there's no one else that I could even stand to have.

"Well," Lily began," I looked down at her again and saw those green eyes flashing with an indescribable emotion. "I guess I finally cracked." She grinned up at me, and I felt a thousand different feelings at once. I finally had convinced my Lily Evans that I loved her and she really did love me. I knew she did. I smiled as wide as was possible. She had no idea how happy I was.

Lily looked radiant at my grin. I leaned down and whispered in her ear where only she could hear me. "I'm glad you did," and then I pulled her lips up to meet mine.

"I love you," I whispered softly when she broke away, and for a moment she just looked at me. "If you don't-" She'd have no idea how hurt I'd be if she didn't love me, but then again, she'd only accepted to _liking_ me this year, much less loving me.

Her green eyes were smoldering as she stared firmly up at me. "Are you kidding, James? I love you too, I just didn't want to admit to it," and then she crashed her mouth to mine, and I was in heaven again.

I guess my time for the stage had come. I was leaving the wings.

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**Yeah, I added some onto the end, and I know it was a little rushed and squished, but I wanted to get that in. Chessiness ending, but we all need a little cheese in our lives, along with cliche!**

**Anyway, thank you to all of you who reviewd both and for always being there. Hope this meets your standards for this story!**

**Again, please review!**

**Lots of love to all my readers,**

**AsItThunders**


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